


Viper's Ballad

by Poochenthecreator (orphan_account)



Series: Secrets Universe [4]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Disabled Character, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Light Angst, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Past Abuse, Recovery, Shipping, Swearing, The Council - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-12-28 02:17:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21129149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Poochenthecreator
Summary: When Scar gets hurt because Viper doesn't have a song, he starts to question himself. Even more so when he begins seeing stuff that's not actually there.





	1. Chapter 1

“Left!” Scar ducked and rolled right, earning a good _thwap _with the stick Doc was holding. “I said left!” Doc spat out at Scar, gripping his ‘weapon’ tightly. “How am I supposed to pass this assessment if I can’t even train properly?!”

“To be fair, most enemies won’t follow your instructions.” Scar wiped blood from his nose, many bruises and welts on his skin showcasing Doc’s aggression over the past hour. “Be careful…”

“Careful won’t get me to pass! This is a fighting assessment! I may be trying to become a Scout but they need to defend themselves!” Doc threw his stick to the ground and groaned, anger burning in his eyes.

Viper raised an eyebrow as the two began to argue; they had been doing that a lot lately. Then again, Doc had become aggressive in that time thanks to Scout training. …Okay, technically, he had endless energy since he started training but with Doc being… well, Doc, he sometimes slipped into fits of rage due to the sheer amount of energy being unable to be controlled.

“Alright. Calm down, asswipe.” Viper adjusted himself in his wheelchair. “No need to get your panties in a wad.”

Doc glared at Viper while Scar only shrunk away. Just about a month ago, Viper had fronted and convinced Scar to have sex with him; betraying Cub, his best friend, like that had put Scar on edge since then. Little did he know was that Viper felt… something at sleeping with Scar. It wasn’t a fun feeling; Python called it guilt or regret.

Said regret rose up like bile in Viper’s throat so he just hissed and waved for the duo of dumbasses to resume training. Doc hesitated and tilted his head. “Don’t you think someone else should be fronting? Like…” Scar tugged on Doc’s lab coat and mouthed for him to not say more about it.

Viper was the only alter without a Healer’s song. He couldn’t calm down Warriors or Scouts. He couldn’t soothe patients in pain. He couldn’t do anything a Healer could because he never wanted to be one. Yet, deep down, he knew it was for a different reason. He knew it was because he lacked most emotions and had trouble reading emotions as well. To most, he was an asshole with no regret or remorse for his actions. In reality, he was a man who felt constantly betrayed and as if he’d be used again if the Hermits had a chance.

“Get back to training-“ Viper spat out. Doc and Scar only nodded and resumed dodging and attacking each other with sticks. He looked away despite being the one who was meant to monitor the fight and make sure Doc didn’t get too rough. He was an asshole, yeah. But he felt as if he had good reason.

In his own, annoying thoughts, he failed to notice the shift in Doc. He had slipped in the rare rage Scouts get and was attacking Scar. “Viper!” He snapped out of it and growled, instinct telling him to just summon up a Healer’s song and calming Doc.

“Right… Don’t fucking have one…” He grit his teeth and muttered to himself bitterly. “Doing this my way, then.” He pressed a button on the side of his leg braces and activated them, jumping up and doing what he knew best- hitting somebody. He swung and knocked Doc out cold with a single punch to the flesh half of his face. Scar gasped at Viper taking down Doc, who was maybe about twice his size plus far more able bodied than Viper.

He looked to Scar and sneered. “Can’t fucking fight back?” He hoisted Scar up, noting Scar wincing at his arm. “Man up.”

“I think it’s broken…” Scar muttered, tears pricking at the edges of his eyes from pain and some new bruises forming, one of his eyes even becoming a black eye. “I’m going to see Joe. No offense but… You’re not meant to be a Healer, Viper.” Scar wobbled away, leaving Viper to hiss loudly.

“You’re not meant to be a Healer?!” He punched a tree and growled loudly, grabbing Doc by his robotic arm and dragging him to what was technically Birch’s base; Viper would use it as he damn well pleased. “I swear to god, what the _fuck _did I even see in him to fuck that bastard?!”

He went inside and dragged Doc to the couch, hoisting him onto it before going to get some food. Apples seemed good right about now, if he was honest. As he grabbed some apples from the chest, he became aware of his leg braces beeping. Of course they were low on energy.

Viper knew he couldn’t race against time. He couldn’t charge them right now because he wasn’t near anything of a strong enough magical source so he just opted to sit down and deactivate them. Just what he wanted- to have to fucking _drag _himself around his home.

He drags himself back over to Doc and pokes the other’s unconscious body. ”Still out cold…” He bitterly mutters. He does that a lot. Then again, he’s a very bitter person. It’s all he knows how to feel. Viper’s first emotion was anger and that was over Etho arguing with him whether or not the PyCrew was healthy. Unable to feel much else, Viper clung to that emotion like it was his last lifeline.

He sighed and leaned against the couch. Part of him wished he had a TV or something to entertain himself! Watching Doc sleep was creepy and boring. He instead opts to watch the sheep through the window and eventually took out his phone to play with. Ever since the Council had become more well known on Hermitcraft, more tech had appeared in the world and made their lives much easier.

He paused when he got an odd message and decided to text back.

**[???]: **hey :)

**[Viper]: **Uh…. Who tf are you?

**[???]: **who do you think? ;)

**[Viper]: **If this is Grian, it’s not fucking funny. Your idea of pranks have sucked since Shy died.

**[???]: **i’m not grian but I am the other! what’s up, viper?

**[Viper]: **…Okay. If you’re really Shy, prove it.

Viper smiled before noticing a picture is sent. He opened it and had to stop breathing in sheer shock.

** [Iamhere.png](http://fav.me/ddit114) **

Viper blinked and looked behind the couch. Nothing. He looked back to his phone and found that the messages are gone. “…Okay. You’re just going insane…” He shook his head and jumped when someone knocked on the door. “Okay. Just what I need. A distraction!” He laughed and dragged himself over to the door, using a walking cane nearby to open it. Xisuma has his wheelchair and, for once, Viper’s glad to see someone else.

“Hey. You left your wheelchair in a field? You’re lucky a returning member found it and brought it to me.”

Viper raised an eyebrow before noticing someone he hadn’t seen in years. Someone who he had shot in the head and left to die as he lead a terrorist attack. Bdubs poked his head from behind Xisuma and smiled. “Well, hey! Haven’t seen you in a long time!”

“Why are you here?” Viper hissed and reached for his backup sword under the couch, pointing it at Bdubs. “Are you here for some twisted form of revenge?”

The other simply pushed the blade away and smiled. “Nope! I’m not about that and you know it.”

Xisuma looks at both members before both of them answer his question. “Long story.”

“But, Python. I’m here because Doc’s mentor… Well, he died on a mission so the Council sent me to help train him.” Viper recalled Doc leaving for a funeral a week or so back. “I’m a Scout, after all!”

“Great. Just don’t annoy the ever living fuck out of me. Go annoy Etho or someone who actually gives a fuck.” Viper tried to lift himself in the wheelchair but found himself oddly devoid of energy. “…Fuck it!” He dragged himself back over to the couch and leaned against it.

“Uh… Do you need help, Vi- er… Py-“

“I know of the alters. Viper was the one to almost kill me, after all.”

“Any particular reason why you’re here other than to train Mr I’m Gonna Beat the Ever Loving Shit Out of Scar?” Viper poked Doc, causing him to groan. “No body returns for one reason only.”

“…You got me. Strange readings have been coming from this universe since the goddess attack. We believe you have a god taking control of the server.”


	2. Chapter 2

Viper hissed as he watched the hermits gather around Bdubs. They all seemed happy at him returning- especially Doc. “Why does it fucking matter if he’s back?” Viper asked himself. “I’m over here fronting 90% of the time and he gets the damn ceremony instead of me getting help?!”

“What do you mean you need help?” Viper screamed at Scar sneaking up on him. “S-sorry…” Scar shuffled in place awkwardly.

“Ohmygod! Stop moping about us fucking and actually do something productive!” Viper spat out, rolling his eye. “Yeah. Been stuck fronting for a while. I want to fucking rest but everyone’s gone quiet and it pisses me off! Just let me go back to the damn alter garden!”

Scar gently grabbed the handles to Viper’s wheelchair. “Before we go further into this, let’s go somewhere private. I… really don’t want Cub overhearing you referencing… that night.” His voice was thick with regret and worry, making Viper groan.

“Shut the fuck up!” He felt regret burn in his chest so he pushed it away the best he could. Scar felt guilty and was hurting and here Viper was just cussing him out. “You’re annoying as hell!”

“Calm down.” Scar wheeled Viper to a more private area and kneeled down to him. “What’s going on with you? You said you’re fronting more.”

“I don’t fucking know! Scar, I’m tired as fuck! But it’s like the others all went dormant! I can’t even fucking hear them most of the time!” He glared at Scar before noticing someone behind him. He gently pushed Scar aside and wheeled towards the person. “Shy?”

Shy waved before disappearing. Viper blinked and shook his head. “Of course. Still going insane.” He wheeled himself back over to Scar, who looked… worried? Sad? Regretful? Viper was never the best at reading emotions. “Don’t say a damn word.”

“I’m just worried.” Scar sat down and leaned back on his hands. “Viper. What was that?”

“Nothi-“

“Like hell it was nothing! You acted like you just saw Shy!” Scar glared at Viper. Why was that… kind of adorable?

“Oh, that’s fucking adorable. As if I care about if you worry over me or not.” Viper began wheeling away but Scar grabbed the handles of his wheelchair. “Let go!”

“No! Viper, you’ve been acting strange the past few days.” Scar was right. Viper had seen Shy two more times since he got that message, not counting the most recent just a few moments ago. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Fuck off, Scar!” He slapped Scar’s hands away and wheeled himself back towards the others. “Leave me the fuck alone.”

“But Vip-“

Viper glared at Scar and sneered. “Leave me alone or I’ll tell Cub of our little secret.” He wheeled himself away, aware of that ugly feeling of regret rising in his throat and making tears prick at the edge of his eyes.

\---

Viper hissed at Shy again, swinging at the air. Nothing. He activated his leg braces and stood up, earning some odd glances from those around him. “What the fuck are you looking at?!” He hissed at Doc, who approached him.

“I think you need to see Joe. It’s been a week since Bdubs came back and you seem like you’re seeing things.”

“Get the fuck away from me!” Viper pushed Doc and watched him fall down, guilt burning in his chest. “I’m…” He grit his teeth. “…Sorry. I’m fucking sorry.” He _hated _those words. He hated saying them. He hated them coming from his mouth and he hated how he meant them. Scar had come by a day or so ago and they had talked, making Viper question many things. This led to Viper trying to be more… sympathetic.

_ “I’m worried about you, Viper. You’re seeing things and it’s affecting you. Hell, what even happened to the other alters?” Scar placed a hand on Viper’s shoulder but backed away when Viper growled. “Okay, okay. No touching.”_

_ “Damn straight.” He looked around the home in some hopes Cub would wake up and save him from this dumbass before him before recalling that Cub was in another base. “Fucking hell!” He yelped when Scar kneeled down in front of him, startling the poor alter._

_ “Sorry.” Scar gently reached out to grab Viper’s robotic hand. “May I?”_

_ “Why?” Viper felt something stir in him. It was… odd? He kind of liked the feeling. For once, he didn’t push this down._

_ “I just want to be able to comfort you. Viper. You’re stressed beyond belief and even a spoon like Mumbo has noticed. He’s mentioned it. Yeah, you’re a massive dick-“ He chuckled and grabbed Viper’s hand. “But you’re still a hermit. We’re here to help.”_

_ Viper raised an eyebrow. Why was Scar being so nice? He had been since they slept together, though a little tense over the entire mess. “I’ve… been seeing Shy around. Getting messages. Then they disappear.”_

_ “…We’re here for you and we’ll figure this out.” Scar hugged Viper before the alter bit his shoulder to show that he didn’t want to be touched. “Ouch!” He jerked away and Viper licked the blood from his lips._

_ “Don’t touch me.”_

Viper glared at Doc before looking away at the cyborg getting up. “…You okay?” Doc looked confused at Viper’s question.

“I could be asking you the same thing, honestly.” He kneeled down to Viper’s level. “We’re all worried.” He looked over when Bdubs and Etho walked to them, both with those familiar looks on their faces. Birch had said that those looks were ones of worry and that it showed that they cared. To Viper, it showed that they were scared of him.

“Get the fuck away from me!” Viper growled out, startling all three into stepping back. “I don’t know why you guys want to fucking help! Are you fucking scared that I’ll hurt you or something?! You honestly should be! If I was able bodied, I’d be able to kick all three of you into the damn ground!” He felt anger rise up and welcomed the familiar feeling.

“You guys are just waiting for me to let my damn guard down so you can use me! So you can use me like everyone else does! I’m not falling for it this time, dammit!” He walked away, hands in pockets. “All of you can kiss my ass and leave me the fuck alone!”

Viper allowed himself to enter the nether, feeling the obsidian in his inventory. He’d just… run away for now. Be alone and try not to think about the weird stuff he was feeling. The regret. The guilt. The sadness. The anger. And… whatever the fuck Scar made him feel. He had those odd feelings since they had sex.

He needed to get away from all of that. So, he hopped out of the nether hub and walked until he couldn’t anymore. That was quite literally. His leg braces ran out of energy. He had just enough to build a portal and light it, going through to a tundra biome. “Great. It’s cold.”

He dragged himself to a tree and curled up under it. “What the fuck was I thinking?” He took some of the wood in his inventory and built a makeshift house, lighting a campfire and lying next to it. “…Good night, Viper…” He told himself.

_“Goodnight, Viper.” _Viper jumped at hearing a voice and looked around. Nothing.

“Hello?”

A patch of air before him glitched and became Shy, who was clearly a god. “Sup.” His voice echoed with each syllable. “How are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Viper a lot, okay?


	3. Chapter 3

Viper nodded as Shy finished his story. “Yeah. So, basically, I’m the god of Hermitcraft. Xisuma hasn’t been the admin in over a year. I mean, he has the powers but he doesn’t need to use them anymore.” Shy sat down in front of Viper. “You’re the only one I’ve been able to contact.”

“Why the hell am I the only one who can see your sorry ass?” Viper adjusted himself.

“Because, as the god of information, I think you’re missing some key parts to you. Information, if you will.” Shy must have noticed Viper’s confused look. “You’re not quite all there. You can’t feel the full range of emotions, let alone read them. So, I’m going to offer a deal.”

Viper raised an eyebrow. “Tell me the deal.”

“Basically, if you make an effort to get better, I will help.” Shy held out a hand.

“If I decline?”

“…Then you decline. We don’t do it.” Shy shrugged. Viper nodded, knowing he could trust the god. Shy had never danced around subjects and rarely lied. When he did, he had a good reason too. Yeah, he was stupid and didn’t think, but he was pretty trustworthy and a good person in general. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Viper reached out and grabbed Shy’s hand, squealing at how cold it was. “WHAT THE FUC-“

“Sorry. I’m technically dead so I’m cold as hell. Well more like cold as the opposite of hell because hell is very hot.” Shy shrugged and sat down in front of Viper. “First thing we have to do to help you Is to figure out what the fuck is going on with Scar. You clearly don’t know how you feel about him so… Tell me what you think of him?”

“Ohmygod… You’re a fucking dumbass. You’re not a damn therapist and you’re not the god of emotions. Shy, you’re still the dumbass you were when alive.” Viper laid back and yawned. “But, I’ll entertain you.”

“I tolerate him a little more than others. He’s decent and he seems to… care? Is that the right word? But, he’s been nice to me since we fucked. Don’t know why but I’m not complaining too much.” He shrugged and closed his eye. “He’s decent.”

Shy chuckled, making Viper crack his eye open. “What the fuck are you laughing about?”

“You tolerate him a little more than others? That’s cute.” Shy cackled and Viper groaned. “How long have you felt like this?”

“Uh… maybe about… 2 months? Little less? It’s weird. I mean, I tolerate him more over time but- HEY! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!” Viper sat up and growled loudly, flexing his claws. “STOP THAT.”

“I think you have a crush!” He laughed and fell back.

“I DO NOT!” Viper felt his face grow hot. “I CAN’T EVEN FEEL LOVE!”

“It’s so fucking cute!” Shy sat up and wiped tears from his eye. “You have a crush on Scar!”

“I DON’T FUCKING HAVE A CRUSH.” He screamed and buried his face into his hands, hating how hot his face was. “I DON’T EVEN LIKE THE DUMBASS. HE’S TOO NICE.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop teasing. You’re right though. Scar’s pretty damn annoying. Can’t stand him.” Shy leaned back and shrugged.

“I want to kick your ass for saying that. Only I get to say that. Besides, even I can stand his sorry ass.” Viper noticed Shy chuckling and realized he had been tricked. “Oh, I’m going to kill you again.” His face grew hot once more.

“Oh, you’re turning red!” Shy floated over to Viper and laughed. “That’s fucking cute. But, I’m done teasing you. There’s a village nearby if you want to be warmer than this.”

“…I’m waiting until the night is gone, first. The sun’s setting, dumbass.” He rubbed his face to get rid of the blush and laid down, stomach growling. “Don’t say anything. I’ll eat in the morning.”

\---

Viper sighed as he attempted to terraform the land with snow. He wanted to build a mound of snow to make a hidden igloo about 10 or so meters from the village. Shy had helped him out with some tips over the past 3 weeks and even helped him feel… calm? It was weird. Shy just told him to focus on good memories with Cub and Scar and it helped calm him.

Viper hissed and threw a snow block to the ground. “Fucking hell!” He hissed and Shy floated over from the village. “How the hell does Scar do this and actually make it look nice?! That man is a magician!”

“Magician of your heart?” Shy smirked, making Viper’s face turn bright red. He had helped Viper come to… some terms with feeling other emotions. He liked feeling happiness. It was nice and sometimes he found himself chuckling at Shy goofing off.

“Just because we were able to make me feel happiness doesn’t mean I’m going to laugh at your idiotic jokes.”

Shy cackled and placed a hand on Viper’s head. “Do I need to add another emotion?” That was how Shy helped Viper. If Viper made enough progress, Shy would use his god powers to allow the full emotion to come through.

“Fuck off.” He closed his eyes and tried to remember the terraforming tips Scar had given Python so he could build his snow mound.

_ “You want look at the land around you and go off that. Like the tree I built for my Landscaping Shop. It started off working out how it’d fit into the land. After that, you use dirt and build the shape you want.”_

_ “So, use dirt and replace it with the material later?”_

_ “Yes! Great!” Scar smiled and pat Python’s head. “I’m glad you’re learning! It’s a step to recovering from your trauma- learning new things.”_

_ “Thank you for helping! You’re a good friend!”_

“Work with the land and use dirt first…” Viper nodded and began working with dirt, making sure to make the mound look like it was simply a hill in the land. Once he was happy with the shape, he began working with the snow needed, replacing the dirt with the snow. As soon as he was done, he set up some redstone and made himself a hidden entrance using an item filter. You had to toss a diamond in.

Which dumbass would just throw diamond around? A big one, that’s for sure. He threw a diamond in and the pistons moved some snow out of the way. He jumped in and climbed down the ladder, grabbing his diamond from the hopper and closing the door. “Tada!” He smiled when Shy floated in through the snow.

“Great job, Vipe man.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” Viper glared and laid back on his bed, yawning. He was tired after working all day. “I think I’m going to sleep.” He curled up and pulled the blanket over himself. “Who knew terraforming could be so tiring?”

“Scar?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

\---

Viper groaned at hearing voices. It has been over a month since he had built his igloo. “Shy, shut the fuck up.”

“Not me.” Shy sat next to Viper in bed. “I think some of the hermits have found their way here?” Viper jerked up and fell out of bed. “You oka-“

“NO I’M NOT. I’VE BEEN HIDING, DUMBASS.”

“Did you hear someone speak?” Scar.

“I think I did?” Cub.

“Okay, think Viper. You have the duo of dumbasses nearby and they’re actually kind of smart? They’re going to probably find this?” He laughed and began digging down. “I need to hide.”

“Why do you need to hide, anyways?”

“Because- Well… I don’t know!” Viper groaned and sighed. “Why have I been hiding all of this time? You’ve helped me feel happiness, excitement, and even the concept of love or crushes? I… don’t know why I want to hide.” He buried his face into his hands and groaned.

“Okay. I’ll be honest. I want to be honest, Shy. I want to tell Cub what I did with Scar.”

“What?!”

“I like Scar. As a friend. I think. But, I realized that what I did with Scar was wrong and Cub needs to know, even if he is Python’s boyfriend rather than mine.” Viper sighed. “I want to hide from that.” He buries himself and hides under his base, Shy floating down and sitting next to him.

“Really feeling that guilt, huh?” Shy shook his head. “I know that was the first emotion you felt after anger but… that doesn’t mean it’s all bad. You regret sleeping with Scar because you’d feel guilty if Cub found out but you know what you did was wrong. I think that shows you’ve made progress. You know between right and wrong. You feel the appropriately considering the situation.”

“…I don’t want to face him. I can’t.” Viper sat down and buried his face in his knees. “I’m not ready.”

“You hear someone talking?” Scar asked.

“Pretty sure I did. Think we should send the drones out here to observe the area?”

“…Yeah. Maybe. If we can’t find whoever is talkin- OHFUCK” A loud crash later and Scar seemed to have mined up some snow and found Viper’s base. “…Cub? I think we found where Viper’s been.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to worddumb for helping me out so much! I was stuck as fuck as this chapter!

Viper held his breath as he listened to Cub and Scar move around his base. He was nervous. He was scared. And, now he was dizzy. He coughed and did a sharp intake of air- _shit_. Cub dug into Viper’s hiding spot, and he acted on sheer impulse. He climbed out and plunged his sword into Cub’s chest, watching his friend fade into a puff of smoke and most likely respawn back in the main area.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!”- Scar’s yelling made him jump- “YOU JUST KILLED CUB! HIS RESPAWN POINT IS HUNDREDS OF BLOCKS AWAY!”

Viper whimpered, backing away, fighting the tears welling up in his eyes. “I-I…” He looked at Scar and noticed some bad emotion etched into the man’s entire body.

Was it fear?

_‘Okay, you scared him. You scared the one guy you actually give somewhat of a fuck about. But… it’s better for someone to be scared of you because then they’re too scared to actually use you…’_

Taking advantage of the fear he growled, sword pointing at the poor man: “You’re coming with me. We’re… We’re going to run away and… Do something!” He poked Scar with it lightly, drawing some blood. “The world is very confusing right now but dammit! We’re going!”

Scar blinked and took a step back, ending up against the wall. “Viper… You’re not thinking straight.”

“OF COURSE I’M NOT THINKING STRAIGHT. I JUST ATTACKED PYTHON’S BOYFRIEND AND I’M ATTACKING A GUY THAT MAKES ME QUESTION A LOT OF THINGS!”- slamming Scar against the wall- “What in the fuck are you doing to me?!”

Fear once again seemed to overtake Scar. It made Viper feel horrible. Why did it make him feel horrible? He tried to shake it off but… Just couldn’t. “…What the fuck are you even doing to me?” He sighed and backed off, hunching his shoulders, why was he trying to be so small? “…I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. For attacking Cub. And for dragging you into this entire mess. I should have never tried to convince you to fuck me and… I’m sorry.” He reached out for permission to touch Scar. “…Can I?”

“Are you… are you asking for permission to comfort me?” Scar was clearly confused- that was an emotion Viper could read well, at least.

“Do I need to take back my offer? I can just walk away and leave you in the cold, asswipe.” He blinked when Scar laughed and pulled him into a hug. Viper didn’t bite, struggle, or whine. He just… buried his face into Scar’s coat and focused on his breathing.

“You… need help. Viper, you’re not exactly well and maybe this is why you’re fronting more? What if the others want you to focus on getting better? To learn emotions?”

“That’s not the case, but whatever.” Shy floated next to Scar, and Viper seriously had to fight his urge to glare. “Most of them don’t have a chance to front when you’re having so many issues.”

_“Shut up and let me enjoy a moment…”_ Viper hissed out softly at Shy, making Scar give him an odd look. That look was one of worry, right? “Scar… Maybe… Maybe while we wait for Cub, we can… work together? I mean…”

Shy gave him a cheery-ass thumbs up. “Doing great!”

“I need help and you make me feel weird things so maybe that means you’re the one dumbass who can help me? So… Can you help me… feel?”

Shy squealed, making Viper flinch. “This is fucking adorable!”

“I… Uh… Sure?” Scar chuckled, reminding Viper that the hermit couldn’t see nor hear Shy. If he could, he’d kill him again- that fucker.

“First thing’s first. Cub. I… feel weird about him. So… can we tell him what happened between us? I’ll take the blame but… I feel like he has to know.”

“You can’t tell him!”

“And why? He needs to know!” He placed his hands on Scar’s shoulders- “Please. It’s bad that we did what we did but it’s even worse that we’re hiding it!”

Scar gulped and Viper felt a pang of guilt shoot through his heart. “Can I… think over it for a day?”

Viper blinked at the stupidity and exhaled, growling softly along the way. Why was Scar postponing this? Cub was going to find out sooner later anyways! “Fine-“

“Changing of subject!” Scar chuckled and sat on the bed, grabbing some snow from nearby chests. “I’m going to fix the mess I made.”

“Good. Because it’s annoying enough having your sorry ass here, but now I’m cold.” Viper made his point by shivering, jumping when Scar shoved a book and quill in his hands. “Uh…”

“I have an idea. Why not keep a log of the progress we make?” Scar smiled and Viper couldn’t help but to see Shy glaring at the hermit. “It’ll be nice to see how you’ve progressed.”

“Plus a nice escape from the reality that you are not helping Viper by insisting that you keep his biggest regret a secret! He needs to feel those emotions, dumbass! You and him fucked up! You and him need to fucking fix this!” Shy literally threw hands in the air, sighed in defeat and floated over to Viper. “The only good idea he’s had concerning the two of you has been that log. So, why not roll with it? Might be able to convince him to speak.”

“…I’ll entertain the damn idea.” Viper sat down next to Scar and began writing. “Okay… Day one starts tomorrow.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am tired but live in the middle of nowhere and have nothing better to do so have another update

-_Day 1-_

_ Today has been a fucking day, that’s for sure. Scar and I sat down to talk. By talk, I mean he twiddled his thumbs as he asked me questions about how I felt and shit. I know I feel regretful and… shaky? Don’t know if shaky is the right word but my heart was pounding and my stomach felt weird. This was over Cub and the entire ‘I fucked Scar’ situation. I’m still not sure what this feeling is but I fucking hate it. I couldn’t even focus!_

_ That was not something I enjoyed doing first thing in the morning. We got into an argument and, honestly, I enjoyed the anger more than the stomach twisting feeling. It’s what I know. He wanted to punch me. I know that for a damn fact. Don’t blame him. I’m not the most likeable dick out there._

_ But, after that, we worked on the base and managed to add a wood interior to actually have some insulation from the cold. Good because I swear I’m freezing my ass off slowly. He also grew some 2x2 spruce trees around. _

_ …I miss the little guy, honestly. Yeah, Spruce was depressed but he wasn’t annoying. He kept to himself. I know he was destroyed when Python was dead for a while. Rose and Tulip are gone, too. It’s me, Birch, Lief, and Python. Yet, out of four of us, I’m stuck here. I’m stuck fronting and it makes me too tired._

_ Aside from me grieving over what is basically another part of myself, Scar went out not too long ago. He’s gathering stuff and thinking stuff over. He’s not exactly happy. Still doesn’t want to tell Cub. When is that bastard coming anyways? Cub’s… Well, surprise, he’s not annoying._

_ Is that because he’s Py’s boyfriend? He’s a cool guy though so maybe it’s just that? He’s one of the few who actually makes me feel calm…ish. Him and Etho. Scar just makes me get all shaky and sweaty. It’s fucking disgusting. Why am I scared of him?_

_ This is fear, right? Makes sense to me. Shaking, unable to focus, and weird… thoughts about him. No, I will not share! Scar might read this! _

_ I just realized that I wrote shit I don’t want him seeing. He’s not going to read this anymore!. Fuck it, this is private now! I can write whatever I want! He’s not seeing shit!_

_ I have no idea what the fuck he makes me feel. Why he makes me so… sweaty. It’s ice fucking cold outside and if he’s near me too long, I start shaking and sweating! It’s… I don’t even know if it’s a good feeling or not! I hate hate hate hate hate hatehatehatehatehate HATE IT. _

Viper slammed his log closed and hissed loudly. He just got himself worked up, now. He curled up on bed and noticed Scar’s hat nearby. The man had left it so it wouldn’t get damaged during the night. He had said something about it’d be the last thing connecting him to the good times with Cub after they decided to tell the ConVex member that they slept together. Both Scar and Viper felt like Cub would be heartbroken and betrayed enough to end the friendship.

Viper gently picked up the hat and ran a thumb over it, the soft, velvet like texture actually fairly calming to him. He laid back and began tracing his fingers along every stitch, rip, patch, and textured surface. It was… nice. The repetition. Viper set the hat down and jumped up, running to his bag and digging out a sewing kit from a hidden pocket.

The repetitive movement of sewing and knitting always made Viper feel calm and He needed that right now- to be calm. So, he took one of his spare shirts and tore off a few bits with his claws and teeth. Then, he got to work, needle piercing the fabric of Scar’s hat and moving in the same motion over and over again as the tears slowly were patched up or sewed closed.

* * *

Viper hummed softly, something he honestly needed to do more often. He just… didn’t. Was that why he didn’t have a song? He just refused to let one come naturally? He shook his head and forced himself to keep humming. …Yeah, he lost it.

“WHY CAN’T I EVEN HUM FOR MORE THAN 3 SECONDS?!” He kicked his bag and threw his sewing supplies, glad he had put away Scar’s hat earlier. He didn’t want his hard work going to waste. Angry at himself, he kicked his supplies around until he found something he… honestly had no idea about.

“This is a blade?” He picked it up from its hiding spot in one of the spools of thread. It was newer but had clearly been used once or twice. Viper thought back and realized that the scratches from “hostile mobs” that he had when he began fronting this time were not from the typical hostile mob.

He had been forced to front because Lief needed to rest. Lief had been active before Viper so… he must have struggled internally before deciding to harm. That was probably why he was so quiet. Viper stared at the blade for… well, a while.

He jumped when Scar came in with a bag full of supplies. Both stared at each other before Viper realized how bad this must look. He was clearly pissed, holding a sharp tool, and had a history of harming himself. “It isn’t what it loo-“

Scar tackled him and both wrestled with each other for a few moments before Scar pinned Viper down. _‘If you could actually come and help me, Shy, give me the damn emotion needed to not punch this dumbass in the face for acting so impulsively!’ _

“Can do!” Viper jumped when Shy spoke before the god summoned up some magic and made Scar fall onto Viper. Viper internally screamed before just yelling and trying to get Scar off. He was shaky and hot again and he did not like that!!! His stomach churned and almost tickled; it made him want to vomit.

“_God dammit, Shy. I’m going to fucking kill you!” _Viper hissed out before Scar gave him a worried look. “I’m fine, if that’s what you about to ask.” Scar froze and stared at Viper, making the aggressive alter growl. “Get off of me!”

“O-oh! Uh, sorry.” He rolled off Viper and sat up. “Don’t know why I fell.”

_‘I know exactly why and I’m going to kill a ghost… god mix.’ _Viper only sighed and stifled another growl. “It’s fine.”

Scar looked away, adjusting his coat to very obviously hide his face. Probably was embarrassed. “You… uh… okay?”

“Yeah. I think Lief hid the blade away.” He looked for it before noticing Scar putting it away. “I’m not going to hurt myself if you’re worried about that.”

“…I am.” Scar lowered his head.

“Why?” That question made Scar jump and look at Viper. “Why are you worried?”

“…Because… Well… I care about you. You’re just as much a ConVex member as Cub or Python!” He smiled and scooted next to Viper. “As much as we argue, we still got up to plenty of stuff before this stuff.” Scar was right. Viper loved to front with the ConVex and play pranks on others with them- sometimes on them. He and Scar had played a massive prank of Xisuma not long before they fucked.

“Don’t. I’m fine.” Viper forced a growl out. “Ugh. I need a damn drink.”

“…I have some scotch in my bag. Cub and I were going to raid proof the village and then do a raid marathon for loot. We were going to drink as a celebration.”

“…Are you saying we get drunk?”

“Not saying we should but I have the alcohol and we’ve been stressed since… well… you know when. So, why not drink a few shots? Might help with your emotions, too. They do say alcohol loosens you up.”

“Fuck it. Got nothing better to lose. Just don’t fuck me again. We have enough issues regarding the first time.” Viper got up and began cleaning up his supplies. “Grab your bag and let’s get tipsy.”


	6. Chapter 6

“I-I’m not drunk…” Scar hiccupped and chuckled. Viper rolled his eyes as Scar downed another shot. “I’m having the b-best time of my liiiiife!” Scar fell back on the bed and laughed.

“Lightweight.” He laughed and took another shot. Scar, despite being over 6 feet tall, was still a damn twig and seemed to not handle his alcohol well. “Though, I don’t have much room to speak. I think I’m past the tipsy point.”

“Viper…” Scar chuckled. “Viiiiiipeeeeeer!”

“Aw, drunk people are so cute!” Shy cackled and grabbed the bottle of scotch, making Viper jump. “By the way, I’m taking this to the non-physical side.”

“Nope.” Viper took it back, all too used to Shy being strong enough to grab an item or two from the physical world. “We have two drunk dumbasses. Don’t need another.” Viper drank directly from the bottle, going about 3 chugs in before feeling his stomach twist. “AW, FU-“

He covered his mouth and grabbed a bucket, letting loose what he just drank. “MOTHER FUC-“ He coughed and Scar stumbled over.

“H-hey, hey, hey… It’s okay…” He smiled and got close to Viper, who growled. “We’ll… We’ll just… clean it up…” Scar chucked and took the bucket from Viper, setting it aside. “I’m not the liiiiightweeeeeight anymoooooooore!!!” He laughed and fell back, tears in his eyes.

“You’re a dumb drunk. I’m a calm drunk.” Viper decided he was done with alcohol for now and laid next to Scar, both staring at the ceiling. “So much for emotions…”

“Aw, we can still talk! It’ll be… it’s okay!” Scar rolled over onto his stomach and support his head with his hands. “Do you liiiiike anybody?” He laughed and burped, making Viper wonder why the fuck he actually thought the asshole was attractive.

Despite being peeved at the drunk man child before him, Viper felt his face grow warm. Why did it do that? “Uh. Cub’s a cool guy. Etho’s technically my dad so he’s nice. Uh… Grian is annoying, at best, but he has good intentio-“

“No! Like… love?” Scar grinned, making Viper squeak softly. Why the hell did it make Viper so hot and sweaty again? “You k-know love, right?”

“Uh… N-no.” He felt his heart twist at saying that. Why did that make him feel so weird?

“Aw, that’s cuuuute! I can show you?” Viper scooted back from Scar.

“Dude, he’s drunk,” Shy pointed out. “If he tries anything, please, for the love of god and all that is holy, don’t take advantage of him. It’s wrong.”

“I won’t. Don’t worry. Not like I plan on anything happening any-“ He squeaked when Scar hugged him.

“I think I-I’m not… Maybe not straight? T-thought I was but…. H-hey…” Viper growled at Scar, who just hugged him tighter. Panic at losing control of the situation and being touched without permission began to overtake Viper so he bit. He bit Scar’s shoulder hard enough to draw blood, the metallic tasting liquid making him fight the urge to purr and bite more.

“Ouch?” Scar chuckled and gently pried Viper from him. “That… That’s kind of hot.”

_‘OKAY??? WTF???’ _Viper panicked again and even more so when Scar did something incredibly stupid- he kissed Viper. He squealed but… it was odd. He didn’t want to bite Scar or push him away.

He… enjoyed this? He enjoyed the closeness and intimacy of it. He enjoyed the prickles of pleasure that made their way through his body. He enjoyed the warm, safe feeling it gave him. He pulled away to catch his breath but was pulled back in quickly, lips locking back with Scar’s again.

Scar’s hands made their way down Viper’s body and rested on his hips, fingers pulling at the top of his pants. Viper blinked and panic set in. This wasn’t right! Not to mention the fact that his trauma was resurfacing. He shoved Scar off of him and scrambled to his two feet.

“You don’t get to do that shit again! You don’t get to fucking use me like that ever fucking again!”

“What?” Scar tilted his head and whimpered. Viper became aware of Shy trying to calm him but he just turned and grabbed his stuff, his breathing rough and quick. “Viper… I… I didn’t mean to-“

“Of course you did! Why else would you do something so stupid?! You’re too smart to be a dumbass when drunk, Scar! You’re one of the smarter asswipes I actually know!” He felt tears welling up in his eyes and blur his vision. “You are _not _using my like my parents did! I am not your damn sex toy and I’m sure as hell not going to..” He hiccuped out a few sobs. “I’m not letting it happen again. I’m…” Viper backed against the wall and slid down it, letting out a loud wail.

“I’m sorry! I’ll be good! Just d-don’t fucking hurt me! I’ll do what you want! I’ll be good! I promise I’ll be good!” Viper felt so small all of a sudden. Then again, he knew this feeling all too well: helplessness. He was helpless when he was a child. When his biological parents used him like they did. “Don’t… don’t force yourself on me, Scar. I promise that I’ll be good…”

His voice was soft and meek, the wavering in it making him feel so stupid for feeling like he did. He knew helplessness and… well, utter depression and fear. He experienced them often, making him often resort to forced anger to shove them aside. At least the arguments with others served some purpose- they made him feel alive while his depression made him feel like nothing was ever worth it.

“I need fresh air,” he gasped out before shoving a very worried Scar out of the way and grabbing his bag, climbing up his ladder and running. His leg braces beeped so he stopped by his enchanting set up to recharge before resuming his run. He couldn’t face Scar. Not after they kissed and his blow up and… he wanted to punch the dumbass so hard but also allow the other to have a non-drunken tender moment with him.

“Are you okay?” Shy floated beside Viper. “You uh…”

“I know I fucking freaked. Leave me alone, okay? I just…. I need to think.” Viper slowed down and took shelter in a naturally spawned igloo, laying in the bed and blocking the door way with some dirt. “…I’m not being really good right now, huh?” He chuckled somberly and took out his communicator, which he had put on silent since he ran away. He hated using it, honestly, because the PyCrew shared an account.

**>PythonGB: **if anyone wants to find me, here’s my cords

**>PythonGB:** by the way, this is viper

He sent the coordinates to his base before messaging Scar. He needed to be ready for guests.

**>PythonGB: **@goodtimeswithscar company’s coming


	7. Chapter 7

Viper coughed and rolled over in bed, shaking from the pounding headache his hangover cause him. He had fallen asleep in the igloo last night and wanted nothing more than to forget what happened. Why did these damn things have to be so cold?! Who built a home out of snow, anyways?! Never mind that he did that. He did not like to think about that place. At least for now.

Tired, he just decided to grab his log and write. Maybe it’d help him gather his very confusing emotions. And maybe it’d distract him from his massive headache.

_-Day 2-_

_ Scar kissed me last night. No way around it or reword it. We kissed and I loved it. Well, until he tried to fuck me. I realized then that he’s using me for another quick fuck. A toy he can play with and alter my emotions! Part of me wants to say I’m just acting out but… it makes too much sense. Who would want to help me feel emotions without some form of repayment? Nobody is nice without reason._

_ I don’t think Scar would have done anything to me. I doubt he would have forced himself on me. But… there’s always that fear. I’m scared he’s using me. I mean, I feel so nice around him and he’s… so nice back. He retorts to my smart ass comments with simply laughing or retorting back and… god, I’ve been feeling this way since we fucked and it’s gotten worse._

_ He was nice to me so I wouldn’t tell his secret but… what if that wasn’t the case? What if he wanted to actually know me?? Now, I just feel bad. Why the hell do I feel bad? _

_ I should go back to sleep. But I’m too… upset to do so. My stomach feels like I’m going to puke and I’m shaky. _

“You’re nervous,” Shy bluntly stated. “I would say I’m surprised you haven’t felt it before but… you’re a strange guy.” He sat on the floor next to Viper’s bed and shrugged. “Dude, what the fuck was that last night?”

“…I… don’t know, Shy.” Viper looked away from the god. “I’m scared. He was going to hurt me-“

“Oh, shut the fuck up! He wouldn’t have dared hurt you! You know that! But, he should have been more careful… Dumbass Scar…” Shy sighed loudly and leaned back. “He’s over a foot taller than you. Why didn’t he even consider such a height difference might trigger flashbacks?!”

“It’s doomed, Shy. If I go back, he’ll know I loved the kiss. I want more. But, if I don’t, he’ll be hurt and worried. He didn’t mean to scare me. He just… got excited.” Viper groaned and turned his attention back to his log.

_ Shy’s being a dick. I know he’s helping me with my emotions but he’s a dick. If I could kill a ghost, I would. But, he has a point. Scar would never hurt me. He drank and drinking makes people stupid. Maybe I should just go back?_

_ I really like him. I think he’s nice and he wants me to be safe. But, I’m going to think this over for a bit. I’m so confused and… It’s hard. I need to think this over. Try to figure out how I feel… I hope he doesn’t hate me for freaking out._

Viper sighed before he yelped when Shy placed a hand on his head, sending a pulse of magic through him. A new emotion immediately hit him like a freight train. His vision blurred and his heart ached. He found his breath hitching in his throat before he wailed loudly. His entire body hurt all of a sudden but it wasn’t physical- far from, actually.

He curled back up on bed and sobbed and hiccupped loudly, shoving his face into the pillow. His body shook and his stomach twisted and turned itself into knots. He felt absolutely horrible and yet all he could think about was how he fucked up with Scar. How he ruined his life just by sleeping with him.

If Cub found out…. Scar would no longer have him as a friend and now he probably felt betrayed by Viper, who just screamed at him and bolted. He ruined Cub’s and Scar’s friendship, possibly Python’s relationship, and some weird friendship or relationship with Scar. He ruined everything.

Maybe it was in his nature to fuck up. He was so… horrible to others anyways. He was a horrible person who only thought about how he felt and how others might use them. But, what if he was using others? He was the one to abuse and use and… just… destroy everything?

“That’s… not exactly the emotion I was hoping you’d feel but I suppose heartbreak goes hand in hand with love.”

“Heartbreak?” Viper coughed at his throat hurting from wailing so much already. “N-no… I just… feel destroyed. I’ve r-ruined… what I… What I wanted with Scar. I don’t e-even know what th-that is!” He sobbed again, gripping the pillow close. “I’ve ruined us…”

“…” Shy hugged Viper, the chill coming from the ghost’s body making him shudder. “I’m sorry for putting that on you so suddenly. Let’s just… Rest for today, okay?” He rubbed Viper’s back.

“I’d like that…” He curled up in bed and Shy laid on the floor next to his bed. “…Shy?”

“Yeah?” Shy shifted in place.

“…You… you said heartbreak goes hand in hand with love? Does that mean…?”

“I wanted you to feel love. My intention was to point out platonic love for others but… I never expected you to be holding onto such intense heartbreak.” Shy sighed and shook his head. “Sorry.”

“…I forgive you. I really do.” He hugged him pillow and closed his eyes, sleeping off his hangover and negative emotions.


	8. Chapter 8

Viper groaned and rolled over in his temporary bed. He had slept all day and now night was fast approaching. Thank god he stayed in his igloo. Speaking of his igloo, he had replaced the ice block window with more snow and built a hole for air so the smoke from his new campfire would escape; last thing he needed was suffocating himself over and over again.

He heard something shuffling outside. _‘Probably a zombie…’_ -He thought to himself. He almost fell back asleep until he heard someone digging through his dirt door. Panicking at it possibly being Scar or even someone who wanted to hurt him, he rolled off his bed and grabbed his sword from being propped up against the wall, picking himself up using his own momentum and approaching the breaking blocks.

Anger burned in his chest all of a sudden and he hated it. He was pissed. He was pissed at the damn world! He was pissed at himself. He was pissed at Scar. He was pissed at Shy. He just… he just needed to get his sudden anger out!

So, when the dirt was finally broken, Viper charged. He dove through the one block high gap- thank god being 5’1” had its advantages- and tackled the intruder to the snow covered ground. “What the fuck are you doing here-“ He got a good look at who he had managed to pin. “…Jamekia? Aren’t you meant to be in your universe?!”

She whimpered and struggled against Viper, who let her go out of some form of sympathy. He found it hard to be mad at another system. Hell, she had saved his life. Well, her and Josh. “Where’s Josh?” The twin was rarely without his sister.

“The Beasts… they got him. Lemon barely escaped with me!” Tears filled her eyes and Viper felt his heart ache for her.

“He’s… gone?” The man had been fun to talk with and a good friend.

“He was chasing after hallucinations when a Beast grabbed him and tore him apart! There was no saving him, Python!” Jamekia sobbed loudly and curled up around herself.

Viper sat up and pulled her into a hug. He hated feeling like this- like he felt her pain. She had lost her twin brother and now she was in an area she probably knew nothing about. Viper looked up to see Lemon running to the aid of Jamekia. Lemon was… for the lack of a better word, massive.

He was almost 7 feet tall, was slightly overweight, and wore what could best be described as dad clothes- plaid shirt and khaki colored pants. He had short, blonde hair and green eyes. “Let go of her!” He demanded, pointing a large stick at Viper.

Viper just stared dully at him. Was… Was he really this stupid? Viper had a sword, for god’s sake! “Uh…” He decided to play along. “Okay, okay. I’ll let her go.” He got up and reached his hand out, Jamekia taking it and hoisting herself up. “I… missed you. It was nice to have another system to connect with. But, how’d you get here?”

“Healer came by to do a welfare check and saw the village destroyed. The happy thoughts thing worked for a while but… the Beasts got stronger and Josh’s… illness got worse. She evacuated us and I remembered you. I figured this was a safe place if your friends cared about you enough to not even want to go home until you were better!”

“…” Viper blinked, struggling to remember his time in the village. If he was honest, the PyCrew shoved those memories aide; it was not a fun time in his already chaotic life. “My friends….”

“Yes! They were so worried about you! You don’t remember?” Viper shook his head and Lemon spoke up.

“I didn’t see them much but I know they love you. They really did care about you and it’s awesome.” Lemon grinned and walked over to the alter and ruffled his hair, earning a good nip to the hand. “Ouch! What the heck? That was rude.”

“Don’t touch me.” He growled and bared his teeth at the giant man.

“I won’t. Not anymore! Guess that means hugs are out of the question…” Lemon sighed before he looked to Jamekia. “Can I have a hug?” She nodded and Viper had to jump back from how fast this mammoth of a man was. He hugged the young woman and smiled. “I love hugs.”

“I know.” She smiled and squirmed in what Viper assumed to be a death grip. “I’m… having trouble breathing…”

“I’m sorry!” He let go of her and stepped back. “I like hugs.” Lemon grinned at Viper, who only stepped back a bit as not to risk being crushed by someone almost twice his size.

“Okay. You like hugs. But, keep those hugs away from me!” Viper looked to Jamekia and waved her towards his igloo. “There’s a basement to the igloo. I’ve heard the zombie so we can hang out there. I’m sure my sorry excuse of a base wouldn’t hold you. By the way, this is my sorry excuse of my base.”

He led them in and chuckled at Lemon smacking his head. “Careful, dumbass.” He opened the trap door, helping Jamekia and Lemon down the ladder. “Try not to fa-“

“I’m stuck.” Lemon was right. He was too big to fit all the way through. “Think you can widen this?”

“…” Viper could only stare. How did he get stuck so quickly? “Uh… I’ll… help.” He mined out the passage down and pushed Lemon down, hearing him yell then a _thud._ “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah! I’ve had worse!”

Viper rolled his eyes and climbed down, glaring at the two villagers before him. The zombie villager groaned and made his alive counterpart shudder and squirm to the furthest corner away from him. “Oh, shut up.” Viper mined out more of the basement so Lemon wouldn’t have to crouch. “We can sleep here. It’s cold as hell outside and this place is lit up.”

“Before we do anything though..” He dug into the chest and began curing the zombie villager. “Annoying fuckers…”

“I’m… confused. Why is the poor guy locked up? Don’t they need to eat?” Jamekia’s tone shifted as well as her entire demeanor. “This is horrible…”

“Snow?” Viper asked, earning a nod. “Yeah, Snow. They don’t need food. It’s weird, but whatever. I don’t question this.”

Snow nodded and got close to Lemon, who only pat her and smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s spooky and chilly but we’ll be okay!”

“I know, but we are so far from home…” Viper rolled his eyes at Snow’s worry but knew she had every right to. He had to try not to fall back on anger with others like he just did, if he was honest.

“I don’t have more beds so… I’ll sleep on the floor?” He shrugged and climbed up, grabbing his bag and sliding down. “I can make some blankets. I was… uh…” How did he tell them he was knitting a blanket? “Finishing a project for a friend. They’re paying me to do it.”

“I didn’t know you liked to knit!” Snow smiled and observed him taking out the blanket.

“Uh… yeah.” Viper sighed and took out his sewing and knitting supplies. “Hard to when your hands stiffen up a lot.” He sighed and leaned against the stone brick, struggling with the knitting needles. “Besides, like I said, I’m finishing a project for a friend.”

“Well,” Lemon started. “Just know that I’ll support you no matter what you do!” He grinned widely and sat down, pulling Snow into a hug.

Viper nodded and focused on his knitting, barely aware of the feeling of being watched overcoming him. _‘Just Lemon and Snow watching…’_


	9. Chapter 9

_ Viper hissed loudly and turned to the group of shocked bystanders around him. “Don’t you see?! The only place we can ever hope of getting together is in Heaven! Eternal rest! That is why Bdubs here has so generously…” He chuckled. “Volunteered to be the first.” He turned the safety of his pistol off and pressed it against the other’s head. “Let this be a lesson! Everyone will use you and try to destroy part of you!”_

_ BANG. The gunshot rang out in the air and echoed off the buildings. He waved his hand and the attack began as he scaled the statue of the first aid to Headmaster. His friends were doing their parts so it was time for his; he took out his explosive and began getting duct tape from his bag so he could bind it to the statue. _

_ “ETHO, STOP-“ Viper looked up upon hearing Shy’s voice and felt an arrow graze his hand as it managed to knock his bomb out of his grip. Angry, he slammed his hand on the remote button. If they were so intent on stopping him, he’d just take himself and others out!_

_ The explosion was intense and Viper was surprised it didn’t kill him right away. It happened so slowly then so quickly. How did he get to the side of a building? He looked up and noticed that some of the stone making up the building was damaged above him with blood. _

_ He tried to get up from laying down. He tried to escape the fighting so he could gather himself and rush back into the attack. He tried to at least sit up but his body didn’t want to work. Through blurry and wavering vision, he noticed how much blood he was losing. How little time he had left. How much he had damaged himself._

_ This was the end. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes. He would die a monster, and he was fine with that…_

Viper sat up from the ground and looked around himself. Where had Jamekia and Lemon gone? Did they just ditch him? He shook his head and climbed up the ladder, gasping when he poked his head over. His igloo was destroyed! “Jamekia?!”

He climbed out quickly and tried to find any signs of Jamekia and her companion. “Where’d you go?!” Did they loot him and run?! Take advantage of his kindness?!

He smacked himself on the forehead and forced those thoughts out. Jamekia was a total sweetheart and Lemon too dumb to use him. They must have been captured or something! Viper slid back down the ladder and grabbed his stuff, cursing himself for sleeping through so much action. He could have protected them!

That’s when he noticed the note tacked to the wall.

_“You slept pretty well, hm? Good thing we used those potion mixes gladly whipped up by none other than Stream. You killed her mother, you know. You killed so many loved ones. Your friends didn’t put up much of a fight, honestly. That big one was too stupid to know we were even kidnapping him! Unless you come to these coordinates by sundown, your friends will be gone.”_

Viper read the location and nodded before noticing some text added on hastily below it.

_“We have your boyfriend too.”_

Boyfriend?! That could mean Cub or Scar! He grabbed his stuff and took out his communicator, noticing the hasty messages on it. Judging by their content, Cub had been kidnapped. “Shit!” He’d have to go to Scar and see if he noticed yet or not. Viper wasn’t… exactly keen on the idea of seeing the man again but… That was fine. Cub, Jamekia, and Lemon needed his help.

As his feet dug into the snow with each pounding footstep, Viper felt guilt and heartbreak ache in his chest. He had killed those people so long ago but his past came to haunt him. Why did he feel so much anger back then?! Why did he still feel so much anger?! Whywhywhywhy?! Why was he such a horrible person?!

His tears were cold on his face. Why was he crying? Why did he always cry when he felt emotions? Was it because he knew he should have had them at the very start? Was he holding onto them too much? Refusing the feelings?

Viper didn’t bother to use the item filter entrance. He just broke through the snow and wood and landed inside with a _crack _as the cold combined with the stress of the fall made one of his braces crack. “Scar?!”

Scar looked up from the chest, decked out in full armor. “Viper! Cub’s been kidnapped! He was over here to grab his stuff and check on you when these… strange people came in and fought us! They said they wouldn’t release him until you came to them!” Scar grabbed a sword and bow. “I’m going to fight them.”

“Don’t! I know who they are!” Viper honestly didn’t- it was too long ago- but he knew the Stream they mentioned was exceptionally fast and strong, often outlasting her opponents in fights. “They’re dangerous, Scar.”

“And they have Cub!” Scar faced Viper head on, anger and hurt showing on his body. “They’re going to hurt him…” Tears welled up in his eyes, forcing Viper to pull him into a hug. “What are they going to do to him, Viper?”

“Nothing I won’t allow. I’m going to stop them. They have two others as well and… their fight is with me.” Viper broke off from the hug and took off his bag. “…I can’t let you go with me.” He swung and knocked Scar to the floor with his bag, thus rendering the hermit unconscious. “I have to do this alone.”

He turned heel and climbed up the ladder, limping at his damaged leg brace. He knew he couldn’t fight if it broke completely so he had to be careful. They had his friends and… and it was his fault! He shouldn’t have ever come back! He should have just remained dormant forever! But now he was fronting and he hated it. He hated himself.

He checked his coordinates and found himself close. Hell, he knew he was pretty close when he heard Jamekia crying. “Stop! He’s had enough!”

Viper poked his head through some bushes and flinched at what he saw. A man with dark skin, pitch black hair, green eyes, and a thin build was holding Cub underwater in a nearby river. He pulled Cub up, who coughed loudly. “Do you think you can attack us?!”

He shoved Cub back under, who flailed and struggled for a few moments before the man pulled him back up. “You’re useless. We took you down quickly. Now, are you going to behave?!” He shoved Cub back underwater for a few more moments, jerking him up and towards a cage Jamekia and Lemon were in. Judging by the way she held herself, Snow was still fronting.

He threw Cub in, who coughed up water and curled up. Lemon grabbed him with a glare at their attackers and held him close to warm him. They were still in a snowy biome, after all. “Why are you doing this?” Lemon asked, rubbing Cub’s back and flinching when the man coughed up more water.

“Viper. That’s why. He killed my wife, Stream’s mother, Aster’s brother, and Bluebell’s son.” Viper recognized the man suddenly. That was Kudzu Winters, the Healer who trained Shy when he wanted to be a Healer. Stream stood next to him, her long, blonde hair fitting her snow pale skin. Aster and Bluebell stood beside the cage with swords and tasers. Aster was a spitting image of Kudzu but, then again, she was his daughter. Bluebell had striking blue eyes, dark brown hair, and semi dark skin, muscles rippling under his clothes.

Aster spoke up, her loud voice ringing through the clearing. “Where the hell is Viper?! It’s almost sundown!”

Viper went to speak up but a hand covered his mouth and jerked him back. “There is no way I’m letting you fight this battle alone!” He glanced and panic rose in his throat at the sight of Bdubs. Was he here to get revenge for the pain Viper caused?!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My internet died so i had plenty of time to write two chapters oof. Also, this is short. Sorry

Bdubs pulled Viper back from his hiding spot and set him down amongst a group of the hermits. Xisuma, Etho, and Doc were gathered around him, all with worried looks on their faces. “Are you crazy?! You can’t go after that many people at once!” Doc hissed out with a surprising amount of venom in his voice.

“Don’t be so harsh. He just… didn’t think…” Xisuma tried to sound hopeful and kind but Viper knew that he was thinking the same thing as Doc. That he was an idiot for wanting to go after a group on his own. Viper… really didn’t blame him.

“Yeah, well, I’m not letting my son’s alter kill himself in a suicide mission.” Etho glared at Viper. “Not again.” He clearly remembered the Bdubs incident all too well. The explosion that nearly killed the PyCrew.

“Ren is coming, by the way. He went to grab Scar,” Doc mentioned. As if on cue, his communicator pinged so he checked it. “…Ren says Scar’s unconscious. He’s trying to wake him right now.”

“I doubt he’ll come to soon. I… knocked him out.” Viper blinked and shrunk back when Etho glared at him. Why did his glare make him feel so small? Like he was a child being scolded by a parent for drawing on the wall in permanent marker.

“Why the hell did you do that?”

“He was trying to go and fight! I killed their families! This is my battle!” He got up and gripped his sword tightly, though he fell back down due to how intense his emotions had become. “I have to do this! I…” Tears filled his vision. “I hurt them! I hurt them and their families and I don’t like these emotions of guilt and regret! It hurts!”

Etho bent down to his son and rubbed his back in comfort. “We can help you, Viper. Trust me. You’ve… changed but… I think it’s in a good way. You care about others and you regret what you’ve done. You’re making such wonderful progress. Now, let us help you with that progress. Let us fight with you.”

“Before we fight, I suggest trying to talk first. I have a bad feeling about that man with dark hair,” Xisuma stated with worry.

“That’s Kudzu, though he goes by Kuddy.” Etho got out a crossbow and a few arrows. “I say we ambush them and catch them by surprise.”

“That’s not the best path, Etho.” Bdubs took out a pyramid shaped device with the Council symbol on the bottom. “We need to be energized and have bait. While that person is distracting them, we can help free Cub and the others.”

“Distraction! Got it!” Viper shoved his way from the group and walked into view of the attackers. “I’m here.”

“Well, look who actually decided he cares about others. Shocker,” Aster hissed out. “But, you are here and that’s a plus.”

“V-viper?” Cub coughed and shivered, reminding Viper of the need to distract their captors.

“Let them go.” Viper limped to Kuddy with a steely look. “You have me.”

“…We do. Bluebell. Stream. You can do what you need to.” He waved and the two opened the cage, though they walked in and hit the three with nasty shocks from the tasers, forcing them to scream and scramble back. “Your friends. Come out here. We’re not dealing with your dirty tactics.”

Slowly, the group shuffled into view. Viper wouldn’t help but to notice Ren supporting Scar. Did they get here soon after Viper left? Viper was happy to see Scar but shook it off, focusing back on the group of those who wanted revenge.

“Let Cub go!” Scar spat. “He did nothing wrong!”

“We will as soon as Viper comes with us. We’re going to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again. Don’t interfere.”

“…” Viper looked to the hermits, then the three in the cage. He knew he had hurt too many. He had killed innocents and… was actually a bad person. He was rude, selfish, and overall a dick. He knew what he had to do. “PyCrew? Are… you okay with this?”

_“It’s our only option.” _Python.

_“For Cub. We can do it for Cub.” _Lief.

_“And for Snow and Lemon.” _Birch.

“Then so be it.” Viper dropped his sword and held his hands up, getting to his knees as if he was being arrested. “Just… Take me and leave the hermits alone, okay?”

Bluebell and Stream freed their victims and let them run to the hermits while Aster put Viper’s hands behind his back and tied them together. Kuddy opened a portal and the group began walking through, Aster dragging Viper behind. He looked to the hermits and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” he hummed out.

“…Goodbye, Viper.” Shy floated to him and nodded.

“Goodbye, Shy. Thank you.” With that, he was taken to a different world, humming a soft song the entire way to what he assumed was his death.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half awake with half this chapter. i'm sorry if it's shitty quality

It was dark. Normally, Viper would assume he was asleep but he knew all too well what was doing on. He was locked and blindfolded in a cage. Time meant nothing to him but, judging by listening to his captors, it had been a few days. How long would it take for them to actually kill him? He only had his humming to comfort himself.

His stomach growled and ached, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in a few days. Hell, they had barely given him water. Viper was weak and exhausted now, though he still found strength in him to stand when they jerked him from the cage.

“Are you guys almost ready?” Was that Stream talking?

“Almost. Go ahead and get him on the chair,” Kuddy muttered. Viper was led towards what he assumed would be the chair, his damaged leg brace making it hard to walk. But, he managed to step up on it with his hands still tied behind his back.

Viper grunted at the rope being tied around his neck; he couldn’t see who was doing it, though.“Can you at least make my last moments somewhat bearable?” That earned a smack from who he assumed to be Kuddy, who hissed loudly and tightened the rope more. “Guess not…” He closed his eyes and adjusted his position on the chair they had put under him. He assumed it was a simple hangman’s set up- a noose attached to a tree and wrapped around Viper’s neck with a cheap chair under him- but it’d do the job.

“I know we’re in a universe without respawn but I hope I come back just so I can haunt you and pretend I’m dead.” Viper chuckled softly. These were… well, they were emotions and he kind of liked them. Just not the ones that made him upset. He was fine with this being his last moments, however. He was happy.

_“That’s acceptance, Viper,” _Python pointed out. _“You’re accepting your death, and that’s fine. We did this for the ones we care about.”_

“Not a feeling I’m complaining about, honestly. I’m fine with it.” Viper earned a kick to the stomach, making him want to double over in pain.

“Stop talking to yourself, freak! It’s annoying and creepy!” Ah, so that was Stream. She had a hell of a kick, that was for sure.

“Excuse me, but I’m talking to my damn alters. Not your sorry ass.” Viper growled but was struck across the face. “Fucking hit a man while he’s down?”

“Yeah, well, call it revenge for those you killed. One death isn’t exactly eye for an eye but we’ll manage as long as that death is you, Viper.” Stream grabbed him by his chin and lifted his blindfold so he could see the rage on her face. “You killed too many.” She shoved the blindfold back down and tightened it. “Think we should take off his braces?”

“No, he can’t stand without them and there’s no use in propping the chair up in such an odd way. It’ll be easier to do It this way.” Bluebell’s voice was deep and easy to recognize.

“That should be good,” Kuddy purred and someone adjusted the chair. “Ready, Viper?”

“…I guess so. If you really want this.” Viper shrugged and lowered his head. “…Make it quick.” He hummed softly to himself. It was… comforting, to say the least. He may not have a song but he had some humming and he was fine with that. He was fine with dying. So, when the chair was kicked out from under him, he let himself fall and meet his end.

Except, the end never came. The rope never went taut and his neck never snapped. Instead, he hit the ground with someone holding him close, the impact breaking his damaged leg brace. He supposed it didn’t matter if he couldn’t walk. He was supposed to be a dead man!

“Viper! What the hell?!” The blindfold was ripped from his eyes and Scar hugged him tightly. “You’re an idiot!”

“…Fair enough.” Viper shrugged as Scar undid the rope around his hands. He could hear fighting nearby but the angle he was at made it impossible to see. “Why’d you save me?”

“Because you’re a hermit! We… We can’t let you just die!” Scar got up and helped Viper up, who had to lean on him for support. “Let’s get you out of here.” He took the rope from Viper’s neck.

Viper blinked and got a good look at the fighting. Aster was going against Keralis, Bdubs, and Etho. She was faster than the three of them and was quickly getting hit after hit to them. Xisuma and Doc were back to back, fending off Stream’s and Kuddy’s potions with shields and swipes to knock the bottles back, though a few were hitting and causing harm. Bluebell had Ren and False cornered. Why didn’t they bring more to fight?!

Viper looked to Scar, who answered his silent question. “The rest are staying because we figured only a few would be able to manage. I guess we were wrong…” Scar picked Viper up and waved to someone out of view. “Ready?”

He began running on the outskirts of the fighting but Bluebell seemed to notice them and gave chase. “Shit-“ Scar managed to mutter out before he was hit across the leg with a bat, bones snapping loudly and him falling down. He smacked the ground and let go of Viper, who went flying and slid across the grass. Bluebell snapped Scar’s leg again with another good smack from the bat.

Viper whimpered and dragged himself away from Bluebell as the man approached him, bat at the ready. He looked around and saw the hermits struggling against these skilled fighters. Hell, Doc had already fallen to the ground and was coughing and gasping for air as Xisuma tried to defend his friend.

“…Enough!” Viper hissed and dragged himself to a tree, lifting himself up and leaning against it. “I’m not letting my friends lose!”

“And what the hell are you going to do?!” Bluebell spat out.

Viper glared and hummed the tune he had come to know over the past few days. “I think what I’m meant to do.”

_“They’re gonna clean up your looks with all of the lies in the books_

_To make a citizen out of you…”_

Viper grinned and stumbled from his spot at the tree. Bluebell looked at him oddly before glancing at the rough looking music notes starting to dance around them.

_“Cuze they sleep with a gun, and keep an eye on ya, son, so they watch all of the things that you do!”_

He swung at Bluebell, who rolled out of the way. Viper grabbed his arm as he rolled and rolled with him, using his momentum to pull Bluebell into the tree, slamming him against it. He used his good leg to launch himself at the man and began wailing on him with punches as he kept up his song.

As he sang, he became aware of his friends fighting harder. Cub and Joe ran from the bushes- they must have been hiding and ready to take Viper- and leapt into the action as the music notes grew more intense. Viper bit Bluebell’s shoulder and refused to let go, only humming as his teeth sunk into flesh.

Bluebell ripped Viper’s teeth from him and got up but was tackled by Cub, getting smacked over and over with the blunt end of an axe. Viper nodded Xisuma charged at Bluebell, grabbing Viper and almost throwing him to Stream, giving him just enough momentum to be able to tackle her and get her away from Doc.

The two struggled for a few moments before Viper kicked her in the face, sending her back.

_“They say all teenagers scare the living shit out of me! They could care less, as long as someone will bleed! So darken your clothes and strike a violent pose! Maybe they’ll leave you alone but not me!”_

He picked Stream up and used his good leg to roll and throw her into Aster, who was knocked into Kuddy. Viper grabbed onto Ren, who had come to help Doc. “False! Get Scar!” False nodded and shouldered her way past Bluebell’s fight and picked Scar up, jumping when he screamed in pain.

Viper glanced around before spotting Kuddy getting up and grabbing a sword. “Oh, hell no!” He hoisted himself up and tackled Kuddy as the man began charging for Scar and False. Both struggled for control of the sword before Viper headbutt Kuddy’s nose and disoriented him, grabbing the sword and plunging it deep into Kuddy. “…No respawn,” Viper spat out a little too eagerly.

He hung his head back and closed his eyes, passing out from the sheer exhaustion his captivity and the fight had caused.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is rushed. On a time limit

“Well, shit.” Viper opened his eyes upon hearing Shy’s voice. He sat up and looked around, eventually tearing his sight from the landscape of code and blue-green magic to Shy, who floated in front of him with a bewildered look. “You uh… kind of died?”

“I- what?”

“Yeah, who knew fighting after sheer stress from being held captive and barely given anything could cause a fatal heart attack?” Shy shrugged and waved his hand, the landscape turning to that of Hermitcraft. “Yeah. You’ve been dead the past two days and they’re burying you back here.”

“What about the rest of the PyCrew?” Viper looked around for Python, Birch, or Lief. “If I had a fatal heart attack, why aren’t they here?”

“Because I’ve talked to them already.” Shy waved his hand again and 4 bubbles of magic popped up around him. They each held an item made from magic; one held a flowerpot with a poppy in it, another had a birch sapling, a vine wrapped around a rose was in another, and the fourth held a tulip that was not quite yet solid like the others. “Python, Birch, and Lief have all agreed to share a small part of themselves to complete the final bubble. Do you know what the bubble holds?”

Viper stared at the half formed tulip. “…You can’t bring Tulip back, if that’s what you’re trying to do. She’s gone.” He looked away. The entire PyCrew missed the Little of the system.

“You’re right. I can’t force an alter into the system. But, as the god of information, I can do something else. I can simply take her information and use some DNA to create a physical form for the soul made using that information. But, it’s not exactly easy, you know?”

“So, you want me to give up some part of myself to help bring her back?” Viper stood from hit sitting position. “What part?”

“Not gonna lie, Viper. You’re an ass and, if I had a choice, I’d leave her with the good parts. But, I kinda need _something _to help round her out? I mean, you felt dulled emotions for a while-“

“Yeah, and some of them I couldn’t feel at all.”

“Don’t interrupt.” Shy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Basically, I’m taking some of your anger and depression and giving it to her. If I complete her now, she’ll be a hyperactive bundle with no ability to feel negative emotions. That’s not exactly healthy, you know?”

“You’re telling me.” He chuckled and took a step towards Shy. “Alright, take some of these shit emotions. Please. I… hate them.”

“I will, but on one condition. Viper, be nice? You’re an asshole and, while I do vouch for you because you’re literally a manifestation of Python’s desire to not want to go through puberty’s many mood swings and sexual urges, even I have my limits. So, my condition for you to bring Tulip back is that you make an effort to be nice. Got it?”

Viper blinked and groaned. “I actually have to be nice to half these dumbasses?” Shy’s glare told him everything. “All of them?! Come on… Zedaph is annoying as hell and I can’t fucking stand Joe’s… weird ass way of talking!” He earned a _thwap _from Shy. “Okay, okay. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Now…” Shy waved his hand and Viper saw a 5th bubble form, magic filling it in the shape of a sword with a trail of music notes coming from it. Magic pulsated around the tulip and it became solid, glowing brightly. “By the way, everyone will freak out because you’re kind of dead but just tell them that respawn took a bit for you because you died outside of the universe, okay?”

“Uh, oka- HOLYSHIT” Viper screamed as he spawned in the sky and rushed towards the ground. “NONONONONO” He hit a small pond and groaned upon impact, coughing and trying his best not to inhale water. What better way to not do that than to go where you can’t inhale water? He swam up and climbed from the pond. “Fucking hell, Shy.”

He looked up and froze upon seeing a young girl of about 6-8 years old. She had pale, red skin with light freckles and dark brown hair, plus blue eyes and sharp teeth. Clearly part creeper. “Uh… Tulip?”

“Hi!” She smiled and Viper found himself smiling back. Why did she suddenly make him so happy? “Shy said that you were going to take care of me?”

_Oh, that fucker. _“You know what, sure!” He sat up and hugged Tulip. “I swear, you look kind of like Py’s and Shy’s kid. …Are you?” Tulip nodded. “I guess that’s the DNA he needed. Wish he had warned me but… whatever. I’ll kick his ass later. Let’s go see the hermits, okay?”

Tulip smiled and floated up, small wings of teal energy forming on her back. “I’m coming!” She clearly noticed Viper being confused as hell because she spoke further. “Shy’s my mom and the PyCrew’s my dad! I’m a demigod, silly!”

“…I’m just going to accept this bullshit Shy dumped on me because… it’s nice to have you back. You were the innocence I wanted to protect and… when you were destroyed…” Viper sighed. “I felt like I had nothing.” He grabbed Tulip and kissed her cheek. “Let’s go say hi.” The two went off happily.

* * *

Cub squeezed Python tightly, swinging him around and laughing as they hugged. Viper watched from the alter garden, glad that he could rest. Fronting for so long had been so tiring. “You’re alive!”

“Ahahaha! Yeah! I’m alive! It was crazy, Cub!” Viper chuckled at Python being his usual, happy self. It was nice. “By the way, meet Tulip! I… don’t remember how she got a physical form or why she’s here but… I don’t mind! I missed her!”

The hermits gathered around Tulip, who showed off her flying- it was messy at best- and interacted with her new friends. Hell, Emerald and Nate were some of the first to reach her, clearly glad to have another kid on the server. “Papa Py brought you here?!”

“That’s so cool! I wish he remembered how!” All three began talking to each other as the hermits began planning a celebration for both Tulip and the PyCrew being back.

Viper noticed Scar hanging back and wanted to front just to talk to him about everything. But, he supposed it could wait. He had kept Python from his family long enough. “You sure you don’t want to front for a few minutes?” Viper jumped at Lief speaking.

“I do want to, but whatever.” He shrugged.

“…Well, go ahead. Just to talk to Scar?”

“Just to talk to Scar,” Viper hummed out, fronting after Cub had gone to say something to Xisuma. He walked over to Scar. “Yo, dumbass #2.”

Scar smiled and waved. “Viper. What brings you back fronting so soon?” He gasped when Viper hugged him. “I don’t unde-“

“We still need to tell Cub what happened but… For now, let’s celebrate. And, after everything is said and done, let’s talk about us. Deal?”

“Woah, where did this Viper come from? You’re not swearing at me as much nor calling me dumbass every other word.”

“Shut the fuck up, dumbass.” Viper smiled and Scar held him close, both watching Tulip play with her family. He became aware of Shy near them, but chose not to say anything. Something told him that he had done something important for Shy.


	13. Chapter 13

If you're honest with yourself, you have no idea where the hell you are. It's Hermitcraft but... empty? You suppose everyone is asleep. But, Shy manages to spook you by coming from nowhere and placing a hand on your shoulder. "Boo." You jump and ask where you are and why you're here. "Hermitcraft. But, I came to tell you something. As a god, I can have some lapses of breaking the 4th wall. Kinda meta but whatever." He shrugged and laughed. "I kind of need your help?"

"Basically, the PyCrew is done. By Viper coming to accept and gain emotions, the others were able to reach a state of peace and allowed me to realize that... I kinda need things set right? Like, I'm not meant to be like this. Unable to interact with my family. I have two choices."

He waves his hand and you stumble at the landscape changing to Grian's room, where he's sleeping with Emerald. "Grian's lost his way but..." The landscape shifted again to show Joe, who was sleeping on a couch. "So has Joe. Question is, which one do I help find their way first? Because... I'm stuck. Grian's my platonic boyfriend but Joe's... well, Joefuckinghills. So, I'm gonna let you pick, okay? Grian or Joe? Oh, and Don't worry about Xisuma. I have plans for him already!" He gave a grin and floated up. 

You debated for a few moments before nodding. "Got your answer?" You nod at Shy's question and gave your pick. He furrowed his brow in thought before smiling. "Sweet! Noted! Well, might as well let you go back to doing whatever you were before this mess! See ya!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Experimental chapter, tbh. Do y'all like it? Do tell if you do or not!  
And don't forget to pick Grian or Joe!


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